The Outsiders Meet Katrina
by CherrySoda99
Summary: It's all pretty much explained in the Author's Note. The Outsiders go to New Orleans and get caught in Hurricane Katrina. More in depth details inside.
1. PART 1 Alyssa

**The Outsiders Meet Katrina**

**Part 1**

**Traveling**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters except for Alyssa. All the rest are property of S.E Hinton.**

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**ALYSSA**

I couldn't believe that I, Alyssa Lowe was going to New Orleans. I had never imagined that I'd ever get a chance to go much of anywhere outside of Tulsa. I was glad, however, that I was going with all of my good friends. I was with my boyfriend, Sodapop, his two brothers, Darry and Ponyboy. Also with us were our two friends, Steve and Two Bit.

Currently, we were at the Tulsa airport waiting for our plane to New Orleans.

I was sitting on a bench with Soda beside me. I was leaning my head up against his shoulder, because I was still half asleep. We had all left the house at 5:30, which means that I was up just after 5.

"Soda, wake me up when the plane comes." I said, closing my eyes.

Soda smiled, kissed my forehead, and put his arm around my shoulder.

I buried my face in the sleeve of his shirt. I loved the way he smelled. Clean, and handsome, but modest. Basically, he smelt like Sodapop. My Sodapop.

I don't know if I had fallen asleep or not, but soon Soda was shaking me awake.

"Lets go babe, the plane's loading." He said.

I grabbed my bag, and followed Soda and everyone else into the terminal entrance.

The plane was big, and we had a hard time finding six seats that were near each other, but finally we did. I sat with Soda, Steve with Two Bit, and Darry with Pony.

"Man, check out these chairs." I heard Two Bit say.

Steve laughed. "Yeah, I could fall asleep for hours in this thing. Maybe we should invest in some of these for the DX, eh Soda?"

"I don't think it works that way, buddy. Unless we're turning the DX into an airplane." Soda replied.

I yawned. Speaking of sleeping, I think I'll do just that. I'm exhausted."

I really did want to sleep, but I wanted to wait until the plane took off. It's not that I'm scared of planes, I'm just not too fond of the taking off and landing part.

I took a deep breath, and Soda sensed my nervousness, and took my hand. Soda's good like that. He knows when I'm scared, or upset, or happy. I heard the engines start up, and my heart started pounding. I gripped Soda's hand tighter, and he turned to me.

"You going to be all right?" He asked.

I smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine." I said. "Just a little nervous."

Soon, we were off the ground, and I relaxed a bit. I decided I would try to get that sleep I was in such desperate need of. I tried to use Soda's arm again as a pillow, but I found it kind of awkward because there was an arm rest in between us. But, after I adjusted myself, I managed to get comfortable.

I had just closed my eyes when I felt myself getting shaken. Steve was standing over me.

"Are you supposed to be out of your seat?" I asked, annoyed.

Steve shrugged. "Even if I ain't nobody has to know."

I sighed. "What do you want?" I asked.

"Look out the window. It's a great view." Steve said, motioning to the window beside me.

"You know that I don't like flying or heights. Now, tell me, why in the world would I want to look out the window?" I asked.

"Cause you're never going to see this again." Steve said.

"Of course I will. I'll see it on the way back. Now, go away and leave me alone." I said.

"But…" Steve protested.

"Steve, go sit down." Darry said from behind us.

Steve sighed, and took his seat next to Two Bit.

I leaned back down on Soda's shoulder and tried to sleep but I couldn't. Finally, I sat up.

"Oh screw it." I said.

Soda smiled over at me.

"Can't sleep?" He asked.

"No." I said. "Steve disrupted me. Remind me to sever his limbs, and maybe his vocal chords if I get the chance. Besides, it's too bumpy."

"Well, don't worry." Soda said, putting his arm once again around me. "It's not that long of a flight. You'll be able to sleep once we get to the hotel."

"But that's so far away." I complained.

"But just think, a hotel room, all to ourselves, just me and you, for a week." Soda said, grinning.

"Be good." I said, smiling at him, and playfully punching him in the stomach.

"But we never have time to ourselves. We always have to put up with Darry and Pony. My bedroom door doesn't even lock." Soda said.

"Soda, you're so romantic." I said, sarcastically.

"I try." He replied.

We still had a long plane ride ahead, no matter how short Soda said it was, so I tried to find something to keep myself occupied. I found it really amusing to bug Soda. I was attempting to poke him, but I ended tickling him instead. So, he started doing it back. I tried not to make that much noise, but I couldn't help it. So, I solved the problem by pulling Soda close to me and kissing him. So, we made out for the rest of the flight. Well, almost the rest of the flight. Two Bit made sure that we paid attention to him after a bit.

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**I'll update soon. The chapters aren't that long, because they aren't really chapters. You'll understand when I start posting more.**

**Please R&R**

**Jess**


	2. PART 1 Two Bit

**The Outsiders Meet Katrina**

**Part 1**

**Traveling**

**Disclaimer: Usual applies. The only character I own is Alyssa.**

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**TWO BIT**

I love flying! I gotta say it! It's so much fun. I always wonder, that if I ever get reincarnated, I'll come back as some sort of bird.

Steve was sitting beside me during the flight and he loves flying too. We kept looking out the window and making all kinds of noise. We were so loud at one point, that the old people sitting in front of us, turned around and stared at us. We quieted down, and we saw Darry glaring at us. If you know Darry, that's not a pretty picture to get him glaring at you.

There was nothing else to do though. Soda and Alyssa were sucking face…again, and Pony had his nose stuck in a book, needless to say, Darry was out of the question for entertainment.

I wanted to do something exciting, but I knew we weren't allowed to get out of our seats.

I was still thinking on it when the stewardess came by with the food cart. Me and Steve each bought a chocolate bar and a can of pop. They had straws too, the cool, bendy kind. I love those, so does Steve.

I drank the pop and ate the bar in about two minutes, and then, I was bored again. So was Steve. He kept fidgeting next to me.

"This plane needs music." I said.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, but I bet it would have to be classical or something, because if it were anything else, the old people would surely complain."

I shook my head. "That's what I don't get. Half of them couldn't hear it anyway."

Steve laughed loudly. Darry gave us another look.

"Find something quiet to do." He said, sternly.

I looked around at Pony, who was so absorbed in the book, that the plane could've gone down, and he wouldn't have budged.

"Hey Pony. What're you reading?" I asked. I really wasn't interested, but I needed someone to talk to.

He didn't even look up. "A book." He said.

I groaned. "Thanks for clearing that up, because you know, I never could've figured that out by myself."

Pony didn't answer.

I decided to try and separate Soda and Alyssa.

"Hey guys." I said across the isle.

They didn't answer. But, Steve had it under control. He took as wad of paper, rolled it up, and stuck it in his straw, and blew. It hit Soda square in the head.

I laughed, and Soda looked up, annoyed.

"Hey, mess off." He said.

Neither of us could answer, we were both laughing it so hard .

Darry wouldn't even acknowledge us anymore. I guess he had got to the point where he thought it would be a better idea to pretend that he simply didn't know us.

We were quiet for a few minutes, but you know me, I can't keep still, and neither can Steve. I knew that Soda wasn't that good at it either, but he didn't seem to be having any problem with it at the moment.

I was in desperate need of something to do. Much longer, and I'd be bursting out of my skin. I knew that Steve felt the same way.

"Hey, you got any more paper?" I asked, noticing that I still had my straw.

"Sure, what are you thinking?" Steve asked.

I smiled. "Just you wait and see."

I took a small piece of paper, just like Steve had, rolled it up, and put it in my straw. This time I pointed my straw up to the ceiling. The paper flew up and stuck to the top of the plane.

"Oh crap." I said, looking up.

Steve looked at me. "What'd you do?"

I pointed up to where the paper had stuck. "It was supposed to come back down."

Steve laughed. "Well, it's no fun only having one up there. That piece of paper must need a friend."

Steve took another wad of paper and did the same thing. The paper stuck to the ceiling next to mine.

Steve laughed harder, which made me laugh. Once I got started, I couldn't stop, and soon I was laughing so hard, I started to snort. This put Steve over the edge. He started laughing so hard, he had to hold on to his seat to keep from falling off the chair.

The old people in front of us were probably taking their hearing aids out.

I don't know how loud we laughed, but we must have been pretty loud, because all of a sudden I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I stopped laughing almost instantly, and so did Steve. I looked up slowly into the face of a very angry looking man, in a Captain's outfit.

"Do you think that's the Captain?" Steve whispered to me.

I shrugged. "I hope not."

"Can you two please keep it down?" He said.

We both nodded, and he left. I slunk back into my seat and looked over to see Darry once again glaring at us like I'd never seen him glare before. Pony was still reading, and not even paying attention. But, now Soda and Alyssa were looking at us and giggling.

I sat back and looked up. I spent most of the remaining flight staring at the two identical spit balls on the ceiling.

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**Please R&R!**

**Jess**


	3. PART 1 DARRY

**The Outsider Meet Katrina**

**Part 1**

**Traveling**

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**DARRY**

Right now, I have a headache. It's not because of the altitude, or the noise, or even the height. No, it's mostly because of the two people sitting diagonal to me. If you haven't already guessed, I'm talking about Two Bit and Steve. Those two are more of a handful, than anyone else I know. Even more so than taking care of my two younger brothers.

Pony was sitting next to me, reading a book, not making a sound. Soda was in front of me, doing God only knows what, but at least he was quiet.

I can't keep tabs on my brothers, and my two seemingly adopted ones as well. That's just too much work. Mind you, I didn't adopt them, they just kind of showed up, which I can't do much about. But, I guess they have their advantages. Besides living at my house, and eating my food, they keep Soda and Pony company while I'm at work. I guess Alyssa is kind of looking after Soda for me as well. She keeps him in line. Maybe it's just because he's so head over heels in love with her, that he listens to every word she says.

I'm starting to wonder when this darn plane is going to land, because I don't think I can take much more of spit balls on the ceiling.

"Please God, let us land soon." I whisper

Suddenly, I hear this voice.

"Attention passengers, we will be landing in approximately 10 minutes. Please remain seated, and fasten your seat belts. Enjoy the landing."

I looked up. It was as if I'd gotten my answer.

"Hey thanks." I whispered again. I guess God really does answer prayer.

I sat back and tried to enjoy the remaining 10 minutes like they had told me too. When you get an answer to a prayer, you listen to what goes along with it.

Needless to say, my idea of enjoying it went out the window, because Steve and Two Bit wouldn't let me. I had tried ignoring them, and even breathing fire down their necks, but nothing was working.

I looked up once again. "Well, I tried. Don't hold it against me."

Finally, after the last five minutes of extreme torture, we finally touched down.

Pony finally looked up from his book.

"Huh? What's happening?" He said, looking around.

"Never mind. Just follow me." I said.

I got up, and lead my crew off the plane. We picked up our luggage in the terminal, and headed outside.

Suddenly, Steve stopped walking.

"I just realized something. What are we driving to the hotel in?" He asked.

"We're renting a car once we get there." I replied.

"A car that seats six people? Good luck with that." Alyssa said.

"For now, we're taking two taxis." I said.

Alyssa, Soda and Steve got one taxi, and Pony, myself and Two Bit got another. We all managed to get to the same hotel, without getting the poor drivers so confused. Somehow I managed to end up paying both taxi bills. Alyssa offered to chip in for hers, but Soda wouldn't let her. To be honest, I really didn't want her to pay anyway.

We took all our suitcases inside, and walked up to the front desk.

"Hi, we have three rooms booked. They should be under the name Curtis." I said to the woman.

She gave us three keys, and directed us in the direction of the elevator.

"Ok, your room numbers are 234, 235, and 236." She said.

"Thanks." I replied, and we started towards the elevator.

We took the elevator to the second floor. We came to Steve and Two Bit's room first. They went inside, and we continued on. We did the same when we got to Soda and Alyssa's room. Finally, we came to me and Pony's room.

It was a nice room. It had a nice color wallpaper, and two beds. Pony chose the one in front of the window, so I dumped my bag on the other one, and switched on the TV. It was originally on the weather channel, so I just watched that.

"There's a tropical storm moving just off the coast. Expected to hit New Orleans by tomorrow night. Expect heavy rain and wind." The weather man said.

Pony looked up at me. I noticed a slightly nervous look on his face.

"Hey don't worry kiddo. These things never come this far north. We'll just have a bit on wind and rain. That's all." I said, trying to reassure him. Maybe I was trying to reassure myself.

Pony was still looking at me, and the expression on his face hadn't changed.

"You sure about that? I mean, isn't it possible that a tropical storm could come up this far?" He asked.

"I suppose. But this is only a tropical storm. Nothing to worry about."

"Can't tropical storms turn into hurricanes or something?" Pony asked, still not convinced.

"It's possible. But, I told you, don't worry. These things, like I said, hardly ever come this far north. Even if it does, it will downgrade to a small storm before it makes contact with land." I said, reassuring him as much as I could.

"Ok, if you say so." Pony said, going back to his book.

I laid my head back down on my pillow, and just relaxed. The first time I had had a chance to since five o clock this morning. How retarded is that?

I decided to close my eyes for a bit, but no sooner had I thought the thought, that I heard a knock on our door.

"Pony, get that please." I said.

I heard the door open, then I heard Two Bit and Steve's voices from outside in the hallway.

"Man, this place is sweet! It's got everything! A pool, a games room, satellite TV, and room service! How awesome is that! Room service! What more could you want?" I heard Two Bit saying excitedly.

"Just another excuse for you to be lazy." I called, laughing to myself.

"This coming from the guy who's currently laying flat on his back?" Steve called from the hall.

"After traveling with you two all day, it's the least I deserve." I said.

They laughed, then I heard them leave.

I closed my eyes again. But again, as soon as I had almost relaxed, a thought came to me. Something I hadn't thought of before. Right at this very moment, Soda and Alyssa were alone in a locked hotel room. They could be doing anything. But, what was even scarier, was that Two Bit and Steve were also alone in a hotel, unsupervised.

I prayed again. "Please, let the hotel be still standing when we leave. Don't let them burn it to the ground."

I guess that if I had known what was coming in the next couple of days, I wouldn't have wasted a prayer on Two Bit and Steve.

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**Please R&R!**

**Jess**


	4. PART 1 Soda

**The Outsiders Meet Katrina**

**Part 1**

**Traveling**

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**SODAPOP**

I love my hotel room. I really do. It's very nice and comfortable, and it doesn't hurt that I'm also sharing it with the hottest woman on the planet earth.

"It's nice, you know. Very homey and the bed's are real comfy too." Alyssa said.

I grinned. "The better to kiss you on my dear." I said.

I went over to her, and pushed her back on to the bed, then climbed down next to her.

"I love you." I said, staring into her eyes. She smiled, then leaned up and kissed me.

"I love you too." She said, after we had separated.

I didn't want to get up, but I knew that I had to. I had to unpack, so I went right to work. I took my suitcase over to my bed, and dumped the contents on to it. I looked up to see Alyssa laughing at me.

"Well, I thought it would be a good idea to make myself at home. I don't clean there either." I said.

"No, you don't." Alyssa replied, laughing again.

I went over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist in a big bear hug.

"What do you want to do tonight?" She asked, taking a hold of my hands.

I thought of something quick that sounded romantic.

"I think we should stay in and sit in front of the fire." I said.

"Nice try, but we don't have a fireplace." Alyssa said, leaning her head back.

I buried my face in her shoulder. "Oh well, we can imagine, can't we?"

I leaned in for another kiss, but was interrupted by a loud rap on the door.

I groaned. "What?"

"Open the door bozo, we have to talk to you." I heard Steve's voice say.

Alyssa went and opened the door, and Steve came in with Two Bit on his heels.

"Hope you weren't doing any hanky panky in here." Two Bit said, almost doubling over with laughter.

"If we were, why would we tell you?" Alyssa said, closing the door behind them.

"Ok, anyway. We have a grand plan for tonight." Steve said proudly.

"Ok, what is it?" I asked, somewhat interested, but more annoyed that they had disturbed us.

"We're watching a movie tonight, in here. Darry and Pony declined after they found out what movie it was." Two Bit said, dropping down on my bed.

"Wait a minute, how did our room suddenly get nominated? And what movie is it?" I asked, somewhat disgusted.

"Well, we picked your room just because we can. We're watching The Exorcist." Steve said, with Two Bit adding sound effects in the background.

"The Exorcist? You're crazy." Alyssa said. "You won't sleep for weeks."

"I'm in." I said, jumping up. "I love scary movies."

Alyssa shot me a look, and I just shrugged. Then, we all turned to look at her.

She sighed, and said. "Oh, all right. I'll watch it. But, if I get scarred for life, I'm holding you solely responsible."

Two Bit and Steve sat down eagerly on my bed with two bags of chips they had bought downstairs. I went over and sat with Alyssa on the other, leaning back on the backboard, and pulling her down with me. I wasn't expecting to get much lip action during the movie, but it never hurt to be prepared.

As soon as the movie started, I stuck my arm around her, and whispered into her ear.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to watch this?" I asked.

"No, but I'll do it anyway." She said softly, snuggling in closer to me.

The movie was scary. Even I'll admit that. I don't get scared easily, but this movie was enough to creep me out a bit. If I got scared, I had no idea how Alyssa had managed to sit through it. She had hidden her head in my shoulder a couple of times, but she never screamed.

After the movie was over, Two Bit and Steve left, high on potato chips, promising not to make too much noise next door because they weren't going to sleep, and I decided to settle down for the night.

"Finally, we're alone." I said, looking over at Alyssa. You do realize that being a 17 year old teenage boy, this is what I've been waiting for all night.

Alyssa was definitely quieter than usual, so she just smiled and nodded to me.

"Hey, you all right?" I asked, starting to rub her shoulders.

"That was the scariest movie I have ever seen in my life." She said, sitting up in the bed.

"I told you, that you didn't have to watch it. You could've done something else. You could've gone over to see Darry and Pony."

Alyssa just shrugged. I turned to look out the window.

"Hey, it's raining pretty hard." I said.

Suddenly, there was a huge flash of light, followed by a loud clap of thunder. Alyssa almost jumped into my arms.

"Hey, it's only thunder and lightning."

"After watching The Exorcist, I think it's safe to say that 'only thunder and lightning' doesn't apply. I wouldn't be surprised if I become scared of my own shadow from now on." She said.

"Well, are you going to be able to sleep tonight?" I asked, genuinely concerned. I hate it when my girlfriend gets upset.

"Yea, I suppose." She said.

She stood up and went into the bathroom to change. By the time she got out, I was already in bed.

She went over to her bed and pulled back the covers. She had just gotten settled in when there was another huge lightning flash and another loud clap of thunder.

"Well, this should be an interesting night." I said. "I'll get the light." I reached out and flicked the switch, and the room went pitch black.

"Goodnight." I called out to the darkness.

Alyssa didn't answer, but she couldn't possibly be already asleep.

"Alyssa?" I called again. Still no answer.

I crawled out of bed, and made my way blindly to hers in the darkness. The lightning lit up the room enough that I could see her body moving up and down with every breath.

I sat down on the edge of her bed, and rubbed what I could see of her hair.

"You awake?" I asked.

She nodded, and then she looked up at me. Her face was stained with tears, and her shoulders were heaving.

"Soda, I'm so scared. I knew I shouldn't have watched the movie, but now I can't help it, and I can't think of anything else. The lightning and thunder isn't helping either." She said between sobs.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry. I should have told them to watch it somewhere else." I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

She managed a smile, and I crawled under her covers with her, and wrapped my arm around her waist tightly. Just before I closed my eyes, I kissed her, and then, I fell asleep with the lightning flashing around us.

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**Aww. That was such a cheesy chapter. I promise more serious stuff soon. It just has to build up first. **

**Please R&R!**

**Jess**


	5. PART 1 Steve

**The Outsiders Meet Katrina**

**Part 1 **

**Traveling**

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**STEVE**

I slept real good that night in the hotel. I love being able to mess up a bed, and not having to clean it back up. My bed was super comfy. The rain helped me get to sleep faster, cause I have to fall asleep with noise.

I woke up when I heard a knock on my door. I rolled over and groaned.

"Go away. It's too early!" I called. I didn't know who I was yelling at, but at this point, I didn't care.

I looked over to see that Two Bit was still asleep and snoring loudly, so I knew that I had to get up and open the door. It was only after the fact that I had opened it half way, that I realized I wasn't wearing a shirt. Thankfully it was only Ponyboy.

"What do you want?" I asked. "It's so early."

"Help me wake up Soda." He said, rather timidly.

"Why do I have to help you? Can't you do it?" I said, somewhat annoyed.

"Well, you're his best friend." Pony replied.

Even this early in the morning, that didn't make sense.

"You're his brother!" I argued, trying not to wake Two Bit.

"Look out on your balcony. You can see into their window from there." Pony said, pointing to the curtained door on the other side of the room.

The idea of spying intrigued me, so I grabbed a shirt and went outside.

I realized that it was raining the hard way. It was coming down so hard and so fast, that I was soaked by the time I had been out there about a minute. The wind was howling hard, and I could hardly hear or see a thing. I was afraid a tree was going to fall on me or something.

I leaned over the railing of my balcony as far as I could and looked into their open curtained door. All I could see was the TV and the other wall. The beds were on the other side, but there didn't seem to be any side of life.

"I think I can make it over if I jump." I called back to Pony.

"What! Are you nuts!" Pony yelled back at me through the wind.

I turned around and grinned. "Duh!" I said.

I climbed up the slippery bard of the balcony, and positioned myself. I took a deep breath, and jumped. I flew through the air and grabbed on to their ledge. I think I almost gave Pony a heart attack. Oh well, that was fun.

I climbed up and stood in front of the open curtain.

I looked over at Soda's bed first, and saw that it was empty.

"Oh no, I'm afraid to look." I said.

I peered slowly around the corner, until I could see the other bed.

"I thought so." I said to myself. My fears had been confirmed. They were both wrapped up in a blanket, and they didn't look like they had much breathing room. Soda had his arm over her shoulder. I got up early for this?

I suddenly got a really evil idea. I waited a few seconds, then started banging on the door loudly.

They both shot to life instantly and looked around confused for the source of the racket I was making.

Soda saw me first, and leaped out of bed and came over to the door. He wasn't wearing a shirt either, and he didn't look to pleased with me.

I was laughing really hard at this point, and Soda just stared at me.

"Hey, rise and shine buddy!" I called, between laughs.

Soda gave me a really strange look, then shut the curtain, leaving me alone outside. But I was still laughing too hard to notice.

"Come on, let me in! I'm getting soaked." I called to no one in particular after I had calmed down.

Two Bit was up now, standing with Pony, staying perfectly dry, and they were both laughing at me.

"Soda!" I called through the closed curtain.

The curtain opened again, and Alyssa was standing before me.

"Please!" I pleaded with her. She smiled and shook her head.

"Hey, hold on buddy. We'll be over in a second." Two Bit called from the other side of me.

He and Pony left, and I was left completely alone, standing by myself, in the pouring rain, getting soaked, and looking like the world's biggest idiot.

I soon found out where they ha gone, because I saw them come inside Soda and Alyssa's room, and walk over to where Alyssa was still standing, laughing. Sodapop came back and started grinning when he saw me.

I gave a sarcastic laugh, because truth be told, I was freezing. Alyssa finally gave in and opened the door to let me come in.

I walked in shivering and soaked, and Soda threw me a towel.

"My, how the mighty have fallen." Alyssa said as I dried off.

"Nice to see you're finally decent, Soda." I said, changing the subject, and motioning towards his freshly clad shirt.

"I was just afraid you'd get jealous of Alyssa giving me all the attention and not you." Soda joked.

"What! You don't think I'm manly enough to get the girl's attention! I jumped off my balcony and landed on yours, and stood out in the pouring rain, while you were inside under a blanket, and you don't think I'm manly enough! Alyssa wouldn't pay attention to me anyway, hence the fact that she's your girlfriend!" I said, grinning at my best friend.

"Hey, at least it was a comfortable blanket." Soda argued.

"Yea, and a hott chick to go along with it." Two Bit exclaimed from the corner, where he and Pony were sitting.

"Hey, no one touches her but me. You understand? She is completely hands off." Soda said, giving Alyssa a backwards hug.

There was a knock on the door and Darry came in.

"So, this is where you all are. I've been looking for you, cause I gotta talk to you about something. And it's right important, so listen up good, got it?" He said, coming in.

We all nodded and went to sit down on the bed.

"There's been a hurricane warning issued for the whole New Orleans area. It's supposed to be getting pretty bad. They said it could get as bad as a Category 4 by tonight."

We were all real quiet, and no one moved.

"They want everyone to evacuate." Darry finished.

Still, no one said anything, but I think everyone had the same thought. I could feel my heart beating in my chest about a mile a minute, but all I could hear was the sound of the wind blowing, and the rain coming down. Then, the thunder and lightning started up again, which isn't as bad in daylight, but it still brought a feeling of foreboding to all of us.

Then, the lights flickered, and after a couple times, they went out. Since the sky was so black, it was almost pitch dark in the room, because Soda had closed the curtain after I had come in.

We were still all silent, as we waited anxiously in the total darkness.

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**Oh boy, it's getting interesting!**

**Please R&R!**

**Jess**


	6. PART 1 Pony

**The Outsiders Meet Katrina**

**Part 1**

**Traveling**

* * *

**PONYBOY**

The idea of getting caught in the middle of a hurricane far from excites me. Actually, it's the exact opposite. The thought of it absolutely terrifies me.

After Darry had informed us that we were being told to evacuate, I started to get really scared. Soda had one hand on my shoulder trying to steady me, and the other was placed carefully around Alyssa's shoulder, trying his best to keep her calm as well. She looked more scared than I did.

Steve was trying to look tough, but I know that the thought of evacuation didn't exactly appeal to him either. Same with Two Bit. Soda was trying to be strong for Alyssa, but I could tell he was nervous too.

We were all sitting in complete darkness not saying a word. I don't know why we dared to say a word. Maybe because we were all too scared or shocked to think of anything.

Finally, Two Bit spoke up. "So, what do we do now?" He asked.

We all turned to Darry, hoping for guidance or reassurance, or maybe both.

"We do as they told us. We get out of here as quick as we can." Darry answered, looking blankly out the window.

"Where exactly are we supposed to go?" I asked.

"Yeah, we can't go home, and we don't know anyone here that we can stay with." Steve added.

"All of the people that can't go home are going to be put in the Superdome in the heart of New Orleans. They think it'll hold everyone. It's built to seat 10 000." Darry explained.

"When do we leave?" Alyssa asked.

"As soon as possible."

"How are we supposed to get to the Superdome? Are we supposed to walk or something?" Soda asked.

"I really don't know buddy. They'll let us know soon. Now, I think that it would be best if everyone went to pack their stuff. Just so we're ready when they tell us to leave." Darry said, standing up.

Everyone nodded, and left. Soda and Alyssa stayed of course, because up until that point, we were all inhabiting their room.

"I followed Darry back to our room, and took out my suitcase. I felt really stupid putting all my stuff back into my bag, when I had hardly taken anything out in the first place.

We both packed in silence, because truthfully, we didn't really know what to say. Everything had changed in an instant, and all my plans had turned upside down.

Sodapop came in a few minutes later, and stood in our doorway, watching us pack.

"I'm letting Alyssa pack for me, because I'd never be able to get everything back in the same way that it was originally. We'd be here all week." He joked.

I laughed, but Darry didn't. He looked at us with one of the most serious expressions that I had ever seen.

"You know that this is a serious situation, right?" He said.

"Oh come on Darry. We're just having a bit of fun." Soda said.

"This isn't supposed to be a funny part of this week. Things are going to happen in the next twenty four hours that you can't even imagine." Darry replied, his expression unchanged.

"Man Darry, you're depressing me. We gotta be laughing sometime, or else we're not gonna get through this." Soda said.

I knew that Soda would have no problem keeping us all smiling. Probably because he was always grinning so much himself. He always made Alyssa laugh.

"Darry, we're not going to get separated or anything, are we?" I asked, nervous.

Darry looked me straight in the face. "Not if I can help it Pony. I'll do everything and anything I can to keep us all together." He said, and I could tell that he meant it. That's the thing about Darry. He hardly ever makes promises, but when he does, he makes sure that he keeps them.

"Hey Pony, why don't you come back to my room for a bit?" Soda asked, heading back towards the hallway.

"Sure" I replied, and followed him down the hallway back to his room.

We reached the door, and Soda opened it.

"Honey, I'm home." He called, grinning crazily at Alyssa.

"I was wondering when you were coming back." Alyssa answered.

"Excuse me while I go comfort my paranoid girlfriend" He said, walking over to her.

"I laughed when he pretended to pat her on the head, and in return got a whack in the head with a rolled up newspaper.

I went over to look out the window. It was still raining really hard, and the wind was really starting to pick up. The trees were blowing like crazy every which way, and swaying something awful. Every once in awhile you'd hear this huge thunder clap, and it would shake the windows.

"Boy, this is going to be some storm." I said, whistling.

"Going to be? This is already huge compared to the stuff we usually get back in Tulsa." Alyssa said, joining me at the window, and looking outside nervously.

Soda called out from behind us. "Hey, storms can be fun." He said.

"Only when they don't kill people or destroy things, like this one is going to." Alyssa said, turning to him, and giving him a small sarcastic grin.

"Well…yeah, but I was being optimistic." Soda replied.

"I was being realistic." Alyssa retorted, going back to where Soda was standing.

"I think I'm going to go back to my room now. I'll leave you two alone…again." I said, and walked towards the door.

Just before I went out, I turned back in to look at them. "Be good." I said, and smiled.

"Ok, goodbye Pony." Soda said, almost shoving me out the door.

I left, and walked back down the hall. Suddenly, thunder roared above me, like someone was moving a huge object upstairs, and the lights flickered. I was getting scared. Alyssa had been right, people are going to die in this storm, and I could be one of them, or someone I know. I couldn't live with that.

I stopped myself from crying, but I was shaking. I opened the door to my room, and went inside, not saying a word.

Darry noticed my intense silence right away, and came to sit down next to me on the bed.

"Nervous kiddo?" He asked.

I could only nod, because I was afraid that if I said anything, I would start to bawl.

"Listen, I'm not going to let anything happen to you, or Soda, or anyone else. Understand?" He said, putting his arm around my shoulder, and giving me a brotherly hug.

I nodded again, but this time, it wasn't because I would start crying, it was because I felt safer now. I even cracked Darry a small smile. I felt better, and ready to face whatever may lie ahead.

* * *

**Well, part one is over. I'll start part two soon. Please R&R**

**Jess**


	7. PART 2 Alyssa

**The Outsiders Meet Katrina**

**Part 2**

**Storm**

**ALYSSA**

**Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, I've been busy with school and stuff. I'll try to update more often.**

* * *

I really don't like storms all that much. I mean, the occasional lightning flash, or clap of thunder, probably won't faze me, but I'm not fond of hurricanes at all, and I really don't do all that well in bad weather.

I finished packing my stuff, and Soda's stuff as well, because the darn boy doesn't know the meaning of the word organized. By the time I had done both, I went to lay down on my bed. Needless to say, I hadn't gotten all that much sleep the night before, therefore, I was extremely tired. Since it was still thundering like crazy outside, I didn't get much of a chance to sleep.

I finally got frustrated, and put my pillow over my head.

"Drat, that thunder." I said.

Soda came over to me, and kneeled down beside the edge of the bed.

"Tired, sweetie?" He asked, peaking under the side of the pillow, where I wasn't holding on.

"Yes." I groaned. "Mother Nature hates me. I swear it's out to get me, it never lets me sleep."

Soda laughed, and picked up my hand off the pillow, which caused the pillow to fall to one side, so I could see his face.

"Hey." He said, as he laced his fingers through mine, "I'll make sure you get plenty of sleep."

I smiled. "How are you going to do that? Going outside and calming the storm?"

Soda shrugged. "I don't know, it just sounded good. But you know…that idea doesn't sound half bad."

I laughed. "Well thank you for thinking of me." I leaned up, and propped myself up with my elbows, and pulled Soda close to me, and kissed him.

There was another loud thunder clap, which caused the windows to shake, and the lights to go out again. I jumped.

"First thing you gotta remember, is not to panic." Soda said.

"Oh, forgive me, I forgot to read that part in the 'How to Survive a Hurricane handbook'." I said, sarcastically, grinning up at him.

"You're very cute when you're nervous." Soda said, reaching down to rub my cheek.

I pushed his hand away. "Hey, I'm very cute all the time." I said, laughing just because I could, and reaching up to mess his hair.

He laughed. "Oh ya, I forgot." He said, fixing up his hair, and then kissing my hand.

"Don't worry. You're very cute too." I said, sitting up in bed.

Soda smiled and started kissing me again. We were really into it, when we were interrupted by a knock on the door. Darry's head appeared inside.

"Come on guys, we gotta go!" He stated, closing the door again and leaving.

Soda sighed, and helped me up, and we grabbed our suitcases. We met Two Bit and Steve in the hallway outside our door.

"Hey man, where are we ever going?" Two Bit asked, slinging his bag over his back.

"Yeah, and where'd Darry go?" Steve retorted.

"I'm here." Darry's voice came from behind us. We turned around and saw him approaching us, with Pony trailing on his heels.

It was only about ten in the morning, and we still had a long day of wind, rain and waiting ahead of us. I really didn't know what to expect.

As soon as we stepped outside, we almost blew away. The wind was blowing like crazy every which way. My hair was blowing all in my face, and I couldn't see anything. Soda reached out for my hand, and I grabbed onto his, knowing that if I let go, we'd most likely get separated.

"So, how exactly are we getting there?" I yelled through the ever growing wind.

Darry pointed to a bus that was parked just outside the hotel, where people were already piling into it.

We ran over to it, and got on. We grabbed the nearest six seats that we could, and sat down, soaked.

My clothes were sticking to me, and it was uncomfortable. I wiggled around in my seat, trying to get my soaked pants to stop sticking to my butt. Soda thought this was funny, and was laughing at me. I stuck out my tongue at him.

"I don't see you offering to help me." I said.

"I didn't think it would be appropriate. At least not when other people are around." He said, grinning.

We drove for what seemed like forever, but finally, as we rounded a corner, we saw the Superdome.

After the bus parked, we got off and joined the hundreds of other people walking inside.

It took us forever to get all settled in. We found a medium sized spot as close to the corner as we could, and started to set up camp. It wasn't the cleanest place in the world, but at least there were no rats or anything.

We didn't have any beds or anything, so we decided to use whatever we had in our suitcases. Our "beds" ended up being mostly clothes laid out on the ground.

From inside, the rain that was pelting the roof sounded like a train was moving right over head. Through one of the windows, we could see all the trees blowing around. It was really noisy, and we could hardly hear a thing that we were saying to each other. People started quieting down at around nine o'clock that night, and that's when the storm hit an all time worst.

None of us felt like sleeping, so we all just kind of sat around in a circle. We didn't say much, but as far as we were all concerned, we didn't need to. We all knew exactly how we were all feeling.

The Superdome made the thunder sound almost twice as loud as it actually was. Everyone knew by this point that I hated thunder, and when all the lights in the Superdome, and the place went pitch black, that's what did it for me. I screamed. I was drown out by everyone else, but Soda heard me, because next thing I knew I was burying my face in his chest, and he had his arms around me, not letting go. I couldn't help it, I started bawling. I was just glad that no one else could hear me.

It wasn't so much the blackness around me. I think it was all the emotion of the situation finally hitting me, and I was letting it out in the only way I could.

"It's gonna be okay. I promise." Soda said, stroking the back of my head while I cried.

I wanted to believe him, I really did. But, at this point, I didn't know what was going to happen. I was glad that Soda was there with me, because I know that I couldn't have faced this alone.

* * *

**Please R&R!**

**Jess**


	8. PART 2 Two Bit

**The Outsiders Meet Katrina**

**Part 2**

**Storm**

* * *

**TWO BIT**

I'm usually not the first person to admit that I'm scared. But, when the lights went out, and we couldn't see anything, I'll tell you, I was scared out of my mind.

This was definitely not the vacation that I had anticipated, and I'll tell you what, I don't think that I liked this change of plans.

Steve was sitting beside me, and he was quieter than I've probably ever seen him. You all know how much he can talk, and now he was silent. Of course, I was pretty quiet as well, and you know I can talk the hind end off a mule as well. I leaned over and tapped his arm. At least, I think it was his arm.

"Hey, Steve." I said, trying to speak above the crowd.

"What?" He answered.

"You alright?" I asked.

There was a short silence. "Yeah, are you?" Steve replied.

"I dunno. I'm pretty creeped out man. This whole thing is whacked." I said.

"I know what you mean. I wasn't expecting this when I left Tulsa." Steve said, slicking back his hair.

"Home isn't looking all that horrible right now." I said.

"Yeah man. I don't think I'll ever be happier to see that old DX man. I never ever thought I'd want to see that place again. I love cars, but I hate work." Steve replied, laughing a little.

"At least you get paid. You're doing something you like." I said.

"I'm gonna get another job once I get out of school." Steve said.

"Hey, is everyone else still here?" I asked, looking around in the darkness.

"I'm over here Two Bit." Pony's voice said to my right.

"Yeah, and me and Alyssa are over here." Soda's voice came to my left.

"Where's Darry?" Pony asked.

"Over here." His voice said.

"Ok, we're all here. So, now what do we do?" Steve asked.

"We sit here. Wait, sleep, talk…" Darry replied.

"I don't feel like sleeping." Alyssa said.

"No, me neither. I don't think I could even if I tried. It's just too weird in here." Steve said.

"Sleeping would do you all some good. I know that everything is really out of whack right now, but sleeping is a good thing to do." Darry said.

"Who would want to sleep at a time like this?" I asked.

"I'd say about 20 000 people." Steve replied.

"Well, I'm not one of those 20 000 people" I said, even thought I could feel myself getting tired.

"I think Pony is." I could hear Alyssa say.

"Why? Is he asleep?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's been out for about five minutes." Soda said.

"But he was just talking to us five minutes ago. You're telling me he said something and then passed out?" Steve asked.

"It would seem that way." Soda said.

"One down, five to go." Darry said, slightly sighing.

"You can go to sleep any time you want, Darry. We'll be fine on our own." Steve said.

"There is no way that I am leaving you guys here alone in this. Even if I am right here." Darry replied.

"So, are we supposed to just sit here in the dark and let this thing slowly kill us? I mean, if the storm itself doesn't kill us, the aftermath will. You realize we won't be getting out of here any time soon, and people will start to panic, and all hell will break loose, and we'll be all toast." Steve said.

"No, we're going to wait until the storm ends and get back to our normal lives. We're not going to die, and everything will eventually get back to normal. One thing I don't want is for anyone else to panic. Because that is the last thing that we will need. We are all stronger than that, and we know that we'll be fine, despite what anyone else may tell us. Does everyone understand?" Darry said, his voice slightly rising.

Steve shut up right away, and we all sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the rain, and wind outside. My eyes were starting to adjust, and I could see Steve and Soda beside me. Steve was kind of staring off into space, and Soda had his arm around Alyssa. I couldn't see Darry, but I knew he was right across from me.

"Man, how long is this storm going to last?" I asked, growing restless.

"As long as it wants." Steve replied.

"Thank you. That helps me a lot, because you know, that really answered my question." I said, with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

"Well, it's not like we're having a temporary summer shower. We're in the middle of a class four hurricane." Alyssa piped up.

"Don't worry, Two Bit. They'll be plenty of puddles for you to splash in." Soda said, and that made everyone laugh.

"Yeah, but these puddles will probably drown him. It'll be like a swimming pool or something." Steve replied.

"A toxic swimming pool. Who knows what's going to be in that water." Darry said.

It felt so good to laugh again. We had all been so serious all day. Me being such a naturally humorous person, I needed to laugh again. Even if I was the brunt of the joke. I didn't mind.

I knew that I was bound to fall asleep pretty soon, because I was in that stage of consciousness where your brain starts to slow down, and you'll laugh at absolutely anything.

Me and Steve had our "beds" made up next to each other, so it would be easier for us to talk, and finally, I gave up the fight and laid down.

I hadn't noticed that Steve had gone down before me, but when my head hit the pile of clothes that I was using for a pillow, I looked over and saw him staring up at the ceiling.

"You tired too?" I asked him.

"Yeah, but I don't know if I can go to sleep." He said, and then yawned, which caused me to yawn. Whoever says that yawning is not contagious is on crack.

"This storm is messing me up big time. I'm not gonna get breakfast tomorrow, and my sleeping pattern is gonna be all messed up. Who even knows if New Orleans will be standing tomorrow? We could wake up dead or something!" I said, knowing that that had not made any sense at all. But I didn't care, I was too tired.

Steve didn't answer, and when I glanced over at him, I saw that his eyes were closed, and he was breathing regularly, and I soon realized that he was fast asleep.

I felt my own eyes drooping, and tried to fight all the urges my body was sending out , pleading me to go to sleep.

I yawned again, fighting to stay awake. Then my eyes closed, and the world slipped into blackness.

* * *

**I'm really trying to write more often...I really am. I'll update soon...promise! Please R&R!**

**Jess**


	9. PART 2 Darry

**The Outsiders Meet Katrina**

**Part 2**

**Storm**

**DARRY**

* * *

Just once in my life, I'd like to have a normal, relaxing vacation. Just once! But no, currently , I was sitting in a makeshift bomb shelter, wondering whether or not the roof would still be standing in the morning.

Pony had gone to bed hours age, and Steve and Two Bit had just dropped off. I was left alone with Soda and Alyssa.

"Is she asleep?" I asked, motioning towards Alyssa, who was leaning up against Soda's shoulder.

Soda looked down at Alyssa.

"I don't know. Her eyes are closed." He said.

"I'm awake." I heard Alyssa mumble.

Soda smiled, and kissed her forehead.

"Are you gonna go to sleep?" I asked.

"I don't know. I'm not really tired." Soda said, yawning.

"Yea you are." I said, leaning over to ruffle his hair.

"Yeah, well…I don't want to disturb Alyssa." Soda said, trying to think of a good excuse not to go to sleep. Needless to say, it wasn't working.

Alyssa poked her head up and looked around. "What about me?" She asked.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." I said.

Alyssa shrugged, and put her head back down on Soda's shoulders.

Me and Soda sat in silence for a few minutes. I'm pretty sure that Alyssa was either asleep, or almost asleep. I spoke up.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked, noticing that Soda was looking contemplative.

The storm was still raging outside, and Soda looked over at me.

"I dunno. Just thinking about what I'm going to do when I get home." He replied.

"What're you planning?" I asked, sort of curious as to what went on in his mind.

Soda was quiet for a minute, then looked down at Alyssa's sleeping figure, He leaned back in towards me, so Alyssa couldn't hear if she wasn't asleep.

"I wanna get married." He said, quietly, but earnestly.

I really didn't know what to say at that point. I had no problem with him marrying Alyssa, because in all honesty, I thought she was the sweetest girl in the world.

The only thing I was concerned about , was that they were both so young. I knew that they were both 17, but that's real young to be thinking about getting married. It is a life long commitment.

"You're sure that's what you want?" I asked, just to reassure myself.

"Of course I am. I love her." Soda replied, still In a whisper.

"Hey, I don't know what you're talking about, but I can hear you, so if you're saying something that I'm not supposed to know about, tell me, and I'll go to bed." Alyssa's voice came from beside Soda.

Soda decided to pick her up and put her down on the makeshift pile of clothes.

She opened her eyes and looked up at Soda.

"Thanks hun, you saved me from walking the whole two feet to my bed." She said.

Soda came back to where I was sitting in a minute.

"So anyway, I love her, as I was saying, and I want to marry her." Soda said.

"You said that about Sandy too." I replied, not meaning to bring that up, but having to.

"This ain't Sandy. I love Alyssa in a way that I've never loved anyone else in my life. This ain't like Sandy. Alyssa isn't gonna leave me. The only kid she'll ever be pregnant with will be mine." Soda replied, indignantly.

"Thank you for that lovely mental image." I said, looking away.

"Sorry, I just meant…"

"I know, I know. Don't worry about it, I understand little buddy. I understand." I said, patting his shoulder.

Soda nodded, then we sat in silence again for a few more minutes.

"You're ok with me getting married ain't ya?" Soda asked.

"Ya buddy, I'm fine with it." I said.

That was the honest truth. Actually, if he got married that would probably be a big help to me. Besides, it would be nice to have a female around again, to help out with the stuff that we testosterone pumped guys couldn't do. The real matter was that Soda was madly in love with Alyssa, and that was as plain as the nose on my face, and that was not going to change anytime soon. So that was good enough for me.

"I'm gonna try to get some sleep now." I said, containing a yawn.

"Ok." Soda replied. "Alyssa probably wants me with her anyway, not that I'm complaining." He said grinning. "I really don't blame her. I wouldn't want to be without her to cuddle up with in this weather."

I laughed, and laid back down on the pile of clothes I had laid out for myself.

I really can't have a normal day, let alone a week. My life is so insane. Two brothers. One with a wild imagination, and the other, head over heels in love. Two friends who may as well live at my house but never bother to clean it. Then there's the one voice of reason in this crazy mess, Alyssa. When I can't handle it, I know that she can. She's just like that. Never loses her cool, able to control her temper.

I was thinking about Johnny. He had been so easy to have around, and so easy to get along with. Then, there had been Dally. Tough as nails, but took care of himself. Never needed anyone, but in a way, always needed the gang.

The storm raged on outside, and above me. The place literally shook, and I could hear muffled screams from around me. Different people scared of the storm. Mostly children, but a lot of adults as well. I looked to my left and saw a young mother holding her crying baby, rocking it to sleep and she sat there crying herself.

All the times that I had complained about my brothers, and Steve and Two Bit, and all the times I had said they were too much for me to handle. All the times I told myself I could've had a life if mom and dad hadn't died, and all the times I had wanted to throw them all off cliffs and give up completely. All of those times didn't matter now. At that moment, I know that I wouldn't trade any of them, for anyone else in the world. I knew that you couldn't chose your family, but you can chose to love them. I knew then, that I would chose to love them forever.

* * *

**I know, I know. I haven't updated this story in a long time. I'm sorry! Anyways, please R&R!**

**Jess**


	10. PART 2 Soda

**The Outsiders Meet Katrina**

**Part 2**

**Storm**

**SODA**

* * *

I wasn't actually asleep. I was laying on my back with my eyes closed, on the pile of clothes thinking about everything. At least, I was trying to think of something besides the storm.

I figured that Alyssa was asleep beside me, because I hadn't seen her move since I had put her down, and her breathing seemed regular. I hoped she wasn't having trouble sleeping with all this noise.

As I was laying there, I suddenly felt her body shiver. Without even thinking about it, I threw my arm over her. I perched myself up on my elbow, and peered over her shoulder. I saw that her eyes were open.

"Why are you still awake?" I asked, moving her hair out of her face.

"How in the world do you expect me to get any sleep in this?" She replied, in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

She rolled on to her back, so she was looking directly into my eyes, and I could tell there was no sarcasm in her face. Her eyes looked fearful but she was trying to hide it.

"I don't know. How did Two Bit, Steve and Pony get to sleep so fast?" I asked, tracing little circles on her stomach with my fingers.

She took a hold of one of my hands, and moved in closer to me, snuggling in close to my chest.

"Must be sound sleepers." She said, half laughing. "Man, you're warm."

I put my head back down on my pillow and reinstated my arm over her, pulling her even closer to me.

"You're not scared, are you?" I asked.

Alyssa smiled. "Not when I have a big strong guy beside me, protecting me." She said, turning her head, so she was again, looking into my eyes.

I laughed, and leaned down to kiss her.

"Well, when you're madly in love with someone, you try your hardest to protect them." I said.

"So, you're madly in love with me, huh?" Alyssa said, smiling.

"Is there anything past madly?" I asked, rubbing my fingers down her face.

" I don't know. I've never loved someone enough to think about that." She said.

"You're in love with me, right?" I asked her, knowing that of course she was. I just loved hearing her say it to me. It made me feel secure, like everything I was doing was worth it.

She leaned over to me until we were almost touching, and smiled that gorgeous, heart melting smile of hers.

"Madly." She said, softly, kissing me.

I drank in the moment. Even though I kissed her all the time, every single time felt like something brand new.

After about five minutes of pure, teenage kissing, we separated. Although it had been a whole five minutes, I wanted more: a lot more. I didn't dare say that to her though. Our kisses were sweet, but passionate, depending on the mood, and how long it had been since we last made out. They were never lustful. Nothing we did ever was. That was one of the things that I loved about our relationship. I had figured out a long time ago that we were all about the romance, never about the sex, and I had promised her when we first started dating, that I would never pressure her into doing something she didn't want to do. We didn't need to satisfy ourselves that way. Not until we were both one hundred percent ready to. She knew it too. I knew that when she was ready, she'd tell me.

She laid her head back down on the pillow next to mine, and I did the same on my pillow. We were still facing one another, and just kid of looking at each other. We decided to finally settle down and try to get some sleep, when the biggest thunder clap I had ever heard, shook the whole entire building. It snapped me out of my half conscious state, and I shot to life.

I could see people around me starting to panic. Some were crying, others were just looking around trying to figure out what happened. A lot of children seemed extremely scared, and their parents were trying to calm them down as best they could.

I pulled Alyssa closer to me, and geld on as tight as I could. I didn't want to let her go. For being a big strong guy, even I needed a little reassurance, and she was it.

After that shockwave died down, people got quieter again. Alyssa turned her head so she could see me.

"I don't know how much longer I can take this, Soda. I'm trying really hard not to freak out, but it's not working. I keep telling myself not to panic, but I can't help it. This is by far the scariest thing that has ever happened to me." She said, her voice soft and scared.

I moved Alyssa's hair out of her eyes, and used my fingers to wipe the stray tears that found their way to her cheeks.

"I know babe, but we're going to get through this. Just promise me you won't leave me alone. I need you just as much as you need me." I said, trying to keep my own voice steady.

"Soda, you know I'd never leave you." She said, clasping my hand firmly in hers.

"You're the only thing that keeps me going, and I'd be completely lost without you." She said.

I smiled at her, and kissed her again. Not for too long this time, however, because another thunder clap sounded above us.

Alyssa buried her face in my chest, and I stroked her hair until it subsided.

We laid back down on the makeshift bed, and she took her head out of my chest, and laid it on my shoulder.

"Soda, I'm glad I'm here with you." She said, quietly.

I kissed her one last time, and pretty soon she was asleep in my arms. Truth be told, I was almost asleep myself.

I looked down at her, and couldn't help myself from smiling. The small bit of light that was shining in, was enough to light up her face, and made her look absolutely beautiful. Don't get me wrong, it's not like she wasn't already beautiful, but all you people that are in love with someone know what I mean.

Even though there was a storm raging outside, I felt almost completely peaceful. I had a feeling that it wasn't going to last long though. Once the storm ended outside, another one would start between people trying to get home, or get to their family, or just get out. Fear does that to people, I've found. People are going to panic, and go crazy, and people may even get killed. There were going to be a lot of those scared, angry people who just want to get out, and I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be pretty.

Just before I finally dropped off to sleep, I prayed a silent prayer to anyone who was listening. I prayed that we'd all be okay, and no one would get hurt. I figured that if there was a God at all, he's understand. He'd understand that I'm not ready to die yet. I wanted to get married and maybe even have kids if the time was right.

I knew how Johnny must have felt before he died. He was younger than I am, and he didn't have anyone to love him except for us.

In my case, I had plenty of people I loved, and I just couldn't lose them. Not now, I needed them now. I needed Darry's support, and Pony's admiration. I needed Steve's friendship, and even Two Bit's comic relief. Most of all, I needed Alyssa's love and trust, and everything else she gives me.

I couldn't lose anyone else in my family, or any of my friends. I just don't think I could handle that again.

* * *

**Whoot! I'm starting to get better at this updating thing. Please R&R!**

**Jess**

**P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


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